REVIEW: The Red Queen (Philippa Gregory)
Author: Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4/5
Premise: Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort is a pious child with a fierce and unwavering sense of destiny. If not a nun, then she'll be the Queen of England and sign her name Margaret Regina. Determined to put her son on the throne of England, she sends him into exile and manoeuvres herself to the heart of the royal court. Devoted in her belief that her House is the true ruler of England, Margaret feign loyalty to the usurper King Richard III and masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and this book didn't disappoint! I felt so sorry for Margaret at the start of the book - having her son at the age of 13 and being married three times when she was only 15! You can't help but want her to succeed (and we know she does!) and it makes her development from a naive child to a strong woman even more enjoyable. What was hard was seeing Elizabeth Woodville in a bad light. Having read Lady of the Rivers and The White Queen, I really like the Woodvilles. But in this book, they are hated by Margaret and painted in a bad light. Overall, this book is very interesting historically (I learnt new things!) and, yet again, the strong women makes for an empowering read.